Iran’s foreign minister is about to visit Pakistan

“Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will begin a regional tour on the evening of April 24, visiting Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow,” Iran’s state news agency said. IRNA reported, mentioning the capitals of Pakistan, Oman and Russia. “The purpose of the trip is bilateral consultations, discussions on developments in the region and assessment of the situation related to the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran.”

Two Pakistani government sources said Mr. Araghchi’s visit could signal the resumption of peace talks with the United States, although this has not been confirmed and a response from Washington is still pending. A US logistics and security team was present to prepare for the possibility of negotiations.

“Foreign Minister Araqchi will tell us what instructions he brings with him when he arrives. All this is just speculation at this point,” a source said.

Neither Iranian media nor Pakistani sources mentioned National Assembly Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, who led Tehran’s delegation in the previous round of negotiations.

The US has not commented on the information. At a press conference on the same day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iran still has a chance to reach “a good deal” with the US.

“What they need to do is give up nuclear weapons in a real and verifiable way,” the Pentagon boss said.

The US and Iran negotiated for about 9 hours in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on April 11, but failed to reach consensus on key issues, including control of the Strait of Hormuz and whether Iran can continue to enrich uranium or not.

US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of Iran’s seaports from April 13 to pressure Iran to accept the terms of the agreement to end the conflict, but Tehran did not give in.

On April 21, the White House boss extended the ceasefire with Iran until Tehran made a proposal to end the long-term conflict, while affirming that the US military would still maintain the blockade. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on April 22 affirmed that Tehran wants to continue peace negotiations, but “violations of commitments, blockades and threats” from the US side are hindering substantive dialogue.